When they danced,

cows from the next county

slowed their cud-chewing

and the moon hung back,

a little envious, mostly wistful.

His cheeks held secrets

of tombs and acorns while

her smile was a Mondrian nightmare

and her hands were full

of crushed pine cones;

they were sappy

and devoid of catharsis.

they’re always starting something

and it’s usually done in full light-

I wish I was visible and able to be heard

but I’m headless and mostly vapor

like a storm that passes through

–

there is so much deviance lurking

in the world of sweater sets and chess,

I’m not hip to the nihilist scene

because I just want to believe in something

uplifting and warm- like cookies

–

their silhouettes haunt me-

like watching a family at the kitchen table

through a window at supper,

not quite within reach

and alarmingly real

Between houses with asbestos siding

and power lines connecting

and disconnecting the neighborhood,

he dwells in familiar discomfort

among stale pillows

and rolling hills of macadam

not far from the forest.

He walks lightly- almost invisibly –

but sees more colors than most

and knows their meanings.

Movement of rails and wheels

keep the city moving and dirty,

taking him from hunger to curated canvas

and all he wants is to feel less sad.

Lean limbs and sharp eyes give way

to a tired view that he cannot help

skewing with fresh angles and a dark hilarity.

He is hope without knowing it.

His heart is closed and closer

to the end of his story than beginning;

the tragedy of his winter

is that he feels all used up,

but he is magic and light and is loved

by those who embrace the cold.

Rainstorm at year’s end

proclaiming nothing new

but touching the dark

with cool precision

and a wayward song

tapping a sloshing journey.

The blue star floats

through wintry dusk

licking the edges of shadow,

even the ones inside

as we cling to whatever bit of self

as contained within tiniest motes

of diamond-snow on branches,

faint greening along rivers, or

a whispering song into a great dark open.